Unite, Prevail
by Marblenykus
Summary: AU! Adoptive sibling and child, Digger the fastrunner, embarks on a great journey with her adoptive herd and family of four longnecks. Soon, an earthquake hits, ending in the seperation of Digger's herd and the loss of memory of ever having an adoptive mother. Meanwhile, Lotus also loses her memory of her kids. They all must somehow reach a fabled paradise.
1. Prologue

(Disclaimer: 'The Land Before Time' belongs to Universal, Don Bluth, and every other original owner. My characters belong to me. This is for show, not dough.)

Author's Note: Thank you if you clicked on this random viewer! This AU occured to me and I wanted to post it on fanfic so… here it is! I already wrote the first two chapters after this and I'll try to write more of chapter three. This isn't my first time writing, so it shouldn't be TOO mediocre. Enjoy!

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Slither!

Something caught the eye of the hatchling Digger. The puny blue-schemed fastrunner perked up from her nap and saw a small tail waggle behind a rock. Determined, the naive fastrunner raised her skinny tail into the air like a flag waving into war. Creeping on both her forepaws and hindpaws, Digger began to dog after the creature.

She happened to catch the attention of her adoptive brother, a hatchling longneck named Littlefoot. The two were a few days apart, even though there was a size difference between the young dinosaurs. Littlefoot was a good few sizes larger and dwarfed the bipedal dinosaur. The taupe longneck fluttered open his large brown eyes, glancing around. His mother was sound asleep beside him, her head merely inches away from his. His grandparents were also sprawled out near his mother.

He noticed his young sibling was absent. Standing on his stubby legs, he sniffed the air and screwed around in several directions. He then caught the scent of her. Scampering after it, he turned at a rock and began to track her.

Meanwhile, Digger became closer and closer to the creature. She altered between stalking on her fore and hind paws and just her hind paws. When she suddenly came upon it, the fastrunner gasped as it whipped around and let out a hiss! It was some kind of legless creature with a long, slender body, a tiny tongue, narrow eyes and sharp fangs. Digger crouched and tilted her head from side to side, entranced by this new being. Was it a legless longneck sort of like her family? Reaching out her forepaw, the creature took the ignorant invitation and lashed out at Digger. Quickly jerking her hand back, Digger squeaked and attempted to make a run for it when she stumbled upon a root of a great, bare tree.

Screwing her head around, the legless creature hissed and launched itself forward. Attempting to let out a cry, Digger only managed to let out a shrill caw. She barely rolled out of the way and found her footing, racing away from the pursuiting predator. She continued to caw and squeal as she ambled away in vain. The fastrunner suddenly felt the breath leave her as she barreled into something. Bowling over with it, she soon came snout to snout with her startled sibling, Littlefoot. He beamed and let out a friendly squeak. Digger let out a frightened chirp and tumbled off of her sibling. She yanked Littlefoot by his neck and gestured for him to follow. He just barely evaded a snap from the slitherfang.

Halfheartedly understanding the problem at bay, he joined Digger in their dash as said fastrunner let out caws and yelps. Littlefoot wailed as well as he suddenly lost his footing and collided into Digger. The pair tumbled down a sharp incline as they were suddenly cornered at a large cliff at the basin of the slope. The two huddled together as the slitherfang advanced on them, flicking out it's slender, forked tongue and eyeing them in malice.

Sibilating, the slitherfang readying a bite onto the two. A sudden protective rage filled Digger as a thought raced across her mind. Littlefoot! Bowing up, the fastrunner leered up at the beast and let out a screech. The slitherfang was petrified for a few moments at the ear-ringing sound. Digger tensed and braced herself as she fanned out her small feathers that lined her spine, part of her hind legs, tail tip, and her forelegs. Littlefoot peeked from his forepaws as a shadow loomed over the trio.

He gasped as Digger straightened up. The slitherfang arched a brow and glanced behind itself. It wheezed as its throat was caught in between two claws, another digging into its windpipe. It let out a strained hiss as it suddenly went limp from the choke hold. Digger and Littlefoot gazed skyward as a tall, slim silver-blue fastbiter stood over them, it's mauve eyes piercing into their emerald and brown.

Quickly slipping the long creature into its jaws and clamping them down, the fastbiter flicked its head to the left. It then took off to the right as fast as it appeared. Digger and Littlefoot were bewildered. Not only had they encountered a slitherfang, but a fastbiter incoincidensely saved them by just catching its next meal?

The scent of their mother soon filled their nostrils. The two leaned against each other as they saw the gray longneck came sliding down the slope to them. As she reached them, she lowered her head and checked for any wounds on them.

"Oh, don't run off like that again, you two," their mother scolded them. "Why did you wander so far?"

The two only glanced over in the direction the fastbiter took off with that large slitherfang. Their mother slowly noticed the faint figure of the fastbiter carrying its prey off into the shadows of a small ravine. Sighing, she returned her head back over to her hatchlings and gave them nuzzles and laps. Scooping Littlefoot on her head and allowed Digger to clamber into her mouth. She had always wondered why Digger found saftey and shelter on the palate of her tongue, but she speculated it was how fastrunners protected their newborns from threats. It didn't bother her of the different nature of the hatchling. The longneck began her way up the incline once more to reunite with her parents.

Digger had began to lull asleep and curled up on her tongue. Littlefoot let out a yawn and stretched. Chuckling in relief, she continued her way to her parents.

Staring at her from a distance, the silver-blue fastbiter watched the longneck transverse the cliff. It gave a small nod and continued off on its own way.

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Notes:

Digger- Oviraptor  
Silvery blue and mauve-eyed Fastbiter- Velociraptor  
Littlefoot, Mother, Grandma and Grandpa Longneck- Apatosuarus  
Slitherfang- Dinilysia (Basically a prehistoric snake)


	2. Chapter 1

(Disclaimer: 'The Land Before Time' belongs to Universal, Don Bluth, and every other original owner. My characters belong to me. This is for show, not dough.)

Author's Note: To be more clear on how Digger came to be in Littlefoot's herd and family, before her and several siblings were born, her parents were caught in a skirmish with a pack of 'egg-stealers'. They were going for the eggs. In the midst of the fight, most of the eggs were destroyed. The two oviraptors were mortally wounded and couldn't keep up much of a fight against the five eggsnatchers (I forgot their real name). Before long, the two collapsed from exhaustion, shock, and blood loss. The eggsnatchers ate their fill and scurried off. The two oviraptors began slowly bled out. Under dead weeds and bracken was the slightly scuffed egg of Digger. Several days passed and the bodies of her parents were beginning to decay. She struggled to hatch as the hatchling lied there sprawled out and weak from hatching. She soon got into a small rumble with a desperate compsognathus, recieving a horrible scratch on her left cheek. She could've died but the small dinosaur was scared off when Littlefoot's mother happened to be in the area. The apatosaurus came upon the aftermath of Digger's fallen family and her crying in confusion and pain from the scratch on her face. Taking pity on the hatchling, Lotus (that's the name I gave her) brought her to her parents where they reluctantly agreed to take her in. Littlefoot soon became fond of his now adoptive sibling and they grew into younglings as great friends, though different kinds. Lotus didn't want to see the little oviraptor perish like her family, so she soon had decided to take her under her wing and adopt her. Hope that clears things up. Tragic, but hey, the first movie was all about that stuff and even had some scenes taken out of it because some of it's makers thought it was too dark and depressing for younger viewers and the lighthearted. Look it up if ya don't believe my claims. :P

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Chapter One: Sparse and Desolate Lands

Food was scarce. Mother had told Digger that her and Littlefoot had been born in unfortunate times. Half the time, Digger found herself face with barren ground, arid air, and dried up plant life. The young fastrunner sometimes found herself chasing after flying insects or stalking small reptiles. Other times, she would eat what plants they could forage along with Mother, Littlefoot, Grandpa, and Grandma. Though their herd was the smallest ever to be known, they thrived. One advantage was that it meant less threats of losing members, since it only contained five, three being fully grown and seasoned with surviving.

The sun had just began peeking over the horizon as Digger along with her brother, Littlefoot, were awoken by their mother, Lotus. Though a bit disgruntled at first, the two tired younglings soon gathered the strength to get to their feet. The two had been following their mother and grandparents for the past half hour foraging for what scraps of food they could find. They had to keep moving if they wanted to reach their goal. Yawning satisfyingly, Digger picked at the feathers on her spine to clean off some grit when something caught her emerald eyes. A bug! It was a large, green dragonfly, but Digger called them skinnygliders.

Getting low and narrowing her eyes, the fastrunner began to stalk the hovering insect. She trailed it into some barren undergrowth when she came into a small clearing. She gasped inwardly as her eyes befell upon swarms by swarms of skinnygliders, fatwings (beetles and the like), and smallbuzz (termites).

Lapping her beak, she charged into the storms of bugs, maw opened wide. As several insects were trapped into her mouth, Digger crunched down on the hard morsels. Chewing them thoroughly, she swallowed the mush with satisfactory. She was lucky to be able to eat both meat and plants. She felt guilty for not being able to share her jackpot of food with any of her family, but leaf-eaters were strictly leaf-and-plant-eating dinosaurs, unable to digest and handle flesh and things like bugs.

After chomping a few more mouthfuls, Digger felt gratified and crept into the dead undergrowth once more. Though it was a light meal, most of the insects had flew away and they were fast too fast to catch at one time. She sniffed the air, trying to catch scent of any green food that she could share with her entire kin folk. Digger scented until her nostrils strained. Sighing in defeat, she dejectedly began heading back to her family's scents.

Something suddenly wafted the air. Screwing her head around, she peered through the sparse bare, trees. Squinting her eyes, she perked up as she noticed something in the distance. Jogging closer to the sight, her heart did a skip and a leap as she announced,

"Green food! Over there!"

Her family must've heard her, because she soon heard their heavy footsteps becoming louder and their scents becoming sharper. The scamper of Littlefoot's much smaller footfalls accompanied them. Their shadows soon towered over the fastrunner as she turned to them, pointing both forepaws and even the tip of her quilled tail.

"Over there, Mother, over there!" Digger insisted excitedly. "I saw it—and smell it! We can all eat… together!" The blue fastrunner threw her forelegs into the air in emphasis.

Lotus chuckled at her child's antics, lowering her head to meet her much smaller gaze. She crackled a smile, "Good eye, Digger. But, there is more than meets the eye, more than just yours." She tilted her head. "Why don't we go see for ourselves if your eyes are right?"

Littlefoot seemed happy. "Sounds good to me. My tummy has been grumbling all morning!"

Digger took hold of his forepaw and took off, "Then come on!"

But the fastrunner had took off at the wrong time. With just one misstep, the idigo-feathered-and-cobalt-skinned fastrunner was sent sprawling forward. Before Digger could clash into the barren ground, she was caught by the long foreleg of her mother. Grunting, Digger soon regained her breath as she clung to the foreleg of her adoptive mother. Looking up to meet the gaze of her mother, she grinned sheepishly.

"Now, now, you don't want dirt up your beak now?" Lotus teased.

"No, ma'am," Digger shook her head, cackling, not showing her slight discomfort from her snout being called a beak, implying her bizarre differnce from her longneck herd family.

Giving her a lick, she set her down beside Littlefoot, who eyed her playfully. She only stuck out her tongue and began to follow her mother and grandparents. As the six trekked closer to the supposed green food, they were amazed when they were some groups of leaves gather on the highest branches of a cluster of trees. They hurried over to the horde and began picking off leaf by leaf, switching between showering some to Littlefoot and Digger, and devouring some for themselves. After every last leaf was plucked from its twig, the six dinosaurs headed off. Sadly, it wasn't much to offer. The sun was beginning to be seen clearly by now.

Digger hopped merrily along behind her brother, chasing the tip of the waving tail. She nipped at it occasionally as they came into a clearing. The small herd glanced around. No plant life. A bit downhearted, Littlefoot kicked at the dusty ground beneath them. Noticing his disappointment, Digger looked around when she noticed a small pile of black twigs near the basin of a towering tree. Approaching it and collecting the twigs, she scuttled back over to Littlefoot and offered them. Wanting to be niced, he accepted three of them and began crunching on them uneasily.

Digger tried the a twig as well, but nearly broke all her teeth. Spatting chunks onto the dirt, she noticed Littlefoot doing the same. Faces contorted in disgust, they had their fill of dry sticks. The gentle voice of their mother soon filled their ears as she called to them.

"Littlefoot, Digger, quickly!" Lotus insisted. "Come here!"

The two bumbling siblings came scampering over to her. Her head was facing skyward.

"Look. Up there," she told them. "A Tree Star."

The two gazed up to see a large, star-shaped leaf at the very top of the canopies of several trees. Reaching up, Lotus picked it off of its stem. Lowering her head, dew began gathering in the center of the leaf. The female let it settle before her two children as the dew slightly flicked them in their faces. Lapping up the dewdrops on her cerulean mandible, Digger took in the lush scent it gave off and the beautiful sight it displayed. She found herself unable to blink for a few moments as her mother snapped her out of her entrancement.

"It is very special," Lotus explained. "It'll help you grow too!"

"Yes," agreed Grandpa. "They are very healthy, but have become rare amongst these parts."

Grandma lowered her grand head to the two delighted younglings, assuring, "But don't worry, there will be more where we are heading, so this won't be the end of them."

"Wow…!" Littlefoot grinned, observing it at different angles of his head.

"A Tree Star!" Digger found herself unable to peck or nudge the delicate leaf. "I wonder how many there could be."

"Oh, as many as there can be, my child," Lotus replied with a smile.

Littlefoot soon grimaced. He asked, "Is this all there is to eat around here?"

Lotus sighed, "l'm sorry, my dear. As I've told you two before… the land has been changing. That is why we must walk as far as we can each day until we reach the Great Valley."

Digger glanced back down at the Tree Star, "Oh… well at least we have /this/ for now."

Littlefoot reluctantly nodded.  
Licking their lips, the two were about to take their first bites of it when laughter filled their curious ears. Glancing inquiringly to the left, the two adoptive siblings crept towards the sound. Lotus noticed this.

"Littlefoot, Digger, don't wander too far!" she warned.

The two began tredding into some tall stalks of grass. As they peered out of the stalks, Digger noticed something in the distance. It was a four-legged creature only a bit smaller than Littlefoot and a bit larger than Digger. It had a horn in its snout and two on the fan-like head it had. Eyeing a fatwing perched on a potruding clast, the yellow horned creature licked their lips impishly. Sneering, the dinosaur was about to take a bite of it, it excreted a purple fluid into their face, their green eyes filling with suprise as the seemingly sticky substance dripped of of their face. Exchanging amused looks, Littlefoot and Digger suddenly burst out in laughter at the scene. The yellow creature noticed them and scowled.

"What are YOU TWO laughing at?" they inquired sharply in a young, feminine tone.

The duo gasped as she suddenly started scraping the ground with her forepaws. They found enjoyment out of this new action, leaping out of their cover and imitating the dinosaur's movements. The yellow youngling soon began to charge and let out a squeal that was the premature sound of a roar. Countering her call with a loud squawk from Digger and wail from Littlefoot, the two began to hail towards her. The three nearly reached each other when they heard a much deeper roar and a large black figure lunged towards them. It was a larger version of the horned youngling with much longer horns and a gray head with a dark hide. They stood over their young and eyed Littlefoot and Digger with a beady pupil, regarding them with disdain. Digger scrabbled to a stop as she stumbled next to Littlefoot at the towering dinosaur's feet.

"Come, Cera…" he ordered. "Threehorns don't play with /long-necks/." He added disgusted emphasis on the last word. He narrowed his eyes, "Especially those who hang around feather-brained /fastrunners/."

"Littlefoot! Digger!" Lotus called from afar.

The words stung and puzzled Digger as the two new dinosaurs continued to leer at them. Out of the corner of her eye, Littlefoot looked just as shocked. What exactly were these… threehorns? Why was that big one saying things like that? And what were longnecks and fastrunners?

Cera snorted, echoing her father, "Threehorns don't play with longnecks and fastrunners." She butted them away into their mother's jaws as she grasped the tips of their tails in between her teeth. The father threehorn also held his daughter by the tail tip and stomped away. Lotus carried her younglings back over to her parents. Littlefoot grasped a part of his tail and hefted himself upwards.

"Mother, what's a…" the word seemed hard to roll of of his tongue as he paused. " 'looong-neck'?"

She began to answer as he shimmied up on her large head and slipped under the Tree Star. Digger soon followed with a smiliar inquiry.

"Yeah… and what the heck is a fast… runner?" Digger settled beside Littlefoot under the cover of the Tree Star. "I never heard of either of those before."

"Why, that's what me, you, Grandpa, and Grandma are," Lotus replied. "And you are a fastrunner, Digger, my dear."

"Well, then why couldn't we play with that threehorn?" Littlefoot pressed.

Digger nodded, "Yeah, and why did that big one make it seem like it was bad for me and Littlefoot to be together?"

"Well, it's always been that way, my children," their mother insisted. "We tend to stick with our own kind. The threehorns, the spiketails, the swimmers, the flyers, the fastrunners… We never do anything together."

"Why?" Littlefoot asked.

"Because… well, we're different," Lotus explained.

"Then why am I with you?" Digger's voice was laced with faint hurt and confusion. "Shouldn't I be with other… fastrunners if I'm not a longneck? I thought meat-eaters and leaf-eaters weren't supposed to be together! And I sometimes eat meat. D… doesn't that make me dangerous?"

Lotus quickly reassured her, "No, no, Digger! I found you alone one day when you were very young… you had just hatched, too! You could've died if I hadn't taken you in… You are an exception to this family. Don't you ever feel unwanted here in our herd; you're part of it too."

Digger was uncertain, mumbling something under her breath that none of them caught, "That won't make me feel misplaced though…"

Littlefoot nuzzled his saddened sibling regardingly. She perked up a bit and gave him a sad smile.

Lotus continued, "Don't worry, though, there are sure to be plenty other longnecks and fastrunners for you to play with when we get to the Great Valley."

"Does that mean I can still play with Littlefoot, Mother?" Digger pressed hopefully.

"Of course," her mother smiled.

Littlefoot then spoke up, "Say, have you ever been to the Great Valley, Mother?"

"… No," she answered firmly.

"Then how do you know it's actually there?" Digger chipped in.

Lotus chuckled, "Some things, we see with our eyes. Others, with our hearts."

"I don't understand," Digger shook her head.

"Don't worry, you will someday," she assured her.

"Well, when will we arrive?" Littlefoot chimed in.

"We will have to travel very, very far. The Bright Circle must pass over us many times." Lotus explained.

"Do you know how to get there?" the fastrunner quizzed.

"Yes," Lotus nodded lightly, "Past the great rock that looks like a longneck, the mountains that burn, and through the valleys of vast waters. I know, it is a long journey, but we must follow the Bright Circle as it sets and rises."

"What is it like there?" Littlefoot questioned.

"Oh, it is a wonderful place. With enough Tree Stars and green food to last forever, cool, fresh water to drink, and huge walls to shield us from sharpteeth," Lotus mused.

"I wish we were there now…" Digger muttered impatiently.

"Don't worry, we will soon enough. Just you wait, my children."

"But I dunno if I CAN wait that long!"

"Hm-hm, well, then that will pass in time."

"If you say so, Mother."

The sun was soon ending its apex as they continued to trek through a region of dead bushes.


	3. Chapter 2

Unite, Prevail

(Disclaimer: 'The Land Before Time' belongs to Universal, Don Bluth, and every other original owner. My characters belong to me. This is for show, not dough.)

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Chapter Two: Official Introductions

Night had began to fall as the herd settled down in exhuastion. Littlefoot slept close to the warmth of his mother's neck with his Tree Star on his back as Digger was sprawled out on Lotus's head. Their grandparents lied not to far away from them. Gentle snores and whistles filled the dim air. Digger had began having trouble sleeping. She was usually the last to fall asleep. Peeling open her eyes, the fastrunner decided to take a small walk to see if that would help her drowsiness.

Sliding gently off of her mother's head, the fastrunner saugntered away in the night. It began to get a bit chillier without the warmth of her family. Maybe she should go back and warm up and that'd help her fall asleep. No. Walking is better. The cold air will lull one to sleep. It numbed the body, heart, and mind. Of course it would help! Digger nodded determinedly as she trekked across the barren terrain. She glimpsed up at the sky. Dim. No moon. No lights in the sky. Just like any other night. Bleak and dark and cold. Maybe… she should go back. Digger only shook her head as she turned back into her former direction.

Fluffing out the feathers lining her body, the fastrunner huffed as she continued her mighty march in the night. Sniffing the air for entertainment, Digger caught the scent of something interesting. It smelt like a… dinosaur. Not a rock. Or a bug. Or a plant. Or water. Or that crisp air smell. Like some… dinosaur. Not a plant-eater. Just… some kind of dinosaur. Enticed, Digger began to track the dinosaur. Possibly… could it be another fastrunner? Or a both-eater like her? Only one way to find out. Continuing along the trail, the fastrunner suddenly felt the earth crumble beneath her as she tumbled in the dim light. A bit scuffed up as she finally rolled to a stop, Digger shook herself and stood. Her neck was a bit sore from straining in akward angles on her fall, but otherwise, she was fine.

She glanced around. A few dead undergrowth here and there. Looking behind her, she could tell that she had fallen into some kind of basin or pit of some sort. The scent of the mystery dinosaur was sharper. It seemed a bit different now that she was closer… like… a fear scent? Wait… fear scent? Confused, Digger followed along a narrow rift south of the basin wall. Her claws tapped and clicked against the rocky ground, reverberating off the walls of the rift. Scenting the air once more, Digger realized that is wasn't quite a fear scent, but rather… more of a reek of distress. Something was in danger!

Not thinking twice, the fastrunner took off after the scent. Never noticing it before, Digger realized how fast her scrawny hind legs actually could carry her in such a small amount of time. Her hind claws added traction and stability, though she easily got them caught on obstacles such as roots, rocks, and other of the like. As an incoming boulder came in, she put more strength into her strides as she vaulted, though a bit awkwardly, over the obstacle. When sticking her landing, she teetered slightly at the odd fashion of how she handled the leap. Next time, she'd just go around it, she told herself.

Continuing down the narrowing path in the rift, the scent became clearer and stronger, alerting her that there was indeed an owner. She had to skid to a stop as she sensed a sheer incline that marked the end of the strange terrain. Slowing her pace to a light jog, she came to a complete stop as she peered over the edge. Her heart caught in her throat. Clinging for footholds, a fastbiter was clinging for dear life, faint fear flashing off of it's mauve eyes in the dim night. It hissed and grunted as it struggled. Looking onward past the fastbiter, there was a black abyss. Testing the air and hearing closely, Digger could detect a fast moving water source at the bottom. Taking a closer look at the fastbiter, vague memories plagued her whirling mind.

{Digger felt smaller and much younger. She stood boldly by her brother, Littlefoot as the slitherfang readied an assault. Out of the blue, the slitherfang hissed madly as two claws were caught at the back of its neck, a third curving around its throat. It began to choke at the suffocating grasp as a new scent polished the air.

As the slender predator fell limp, it was caught in the jaws of a silver-blue fastbiter, it's mauve eyes surveying the two hatchlings as they gazed in bewilderment. As the call of their mother's voice filled Digger's ears, the fastbiter glanced up in her direction and took off with its prey into an overpass of barren trees.}

Digger had just faintly recalled the miraculous rescue that was merely a meal for another predator to ensue in consumption. That silvery-blue fastbiter… it was a meat-eater, but what had it really done in the past other than fend and feed itself? Sure it was a type of sharptooth, but surely it was only surviving like the rest of the herds and packs.

CRK! CRUMBLE! SCREE!

The fastrunner was snapped out of her thoughts as the fastbiter lost its a hold on one of its forepaws. The fastbiter was beginning to become more desperate as its eyes became fresher with fear and anxiety. Glancing around, Digger cautiously began to repel down the side of the incline towards the endangered dinosaur. She gasped inwardly as her hind paw slipped and she lost all her grip on the small footholds, clinging by a single set of fore claws. She glanced apologetically down at the fastbiter as it was showered with small grits of pebble, dust, and rock. It let out a small screech of rebuke as it almost plummeted.

Taking her time, Digger began to climb more slowly and articulated. Carefully, the fastrunner angled herself in an almost diagonal position and sank her claws fiercely into the rocky wall. The fastrunner strained her left forepaw towards the fastbiter as it blinked up in surprise at the endeavoring youngling. Reluctant at first, the fastbiter accepted the offer and curled its two fore-claws around Diggers wrist and the third one cradled near her palm. Grunting and gritting her teeth, Digger began hefting the extra weight up, attempting to guide the sharptooth. In the corner of her eye, the fastbiter was vying along with her, though a bit bulky for the climb in the particular and awkward to the activity.

Almost there! Just… a bit more! Digger almost found a genuine beam play at her beak as she led the fastbiter skyward along the treacherous incline. That expression soon wavered at the foothold under her free forepaw began to cave in. Her heart sank into her gut as the breath seemed sucked right out of her lungs. Wind began to whistle in her ears as she took a plunge southward into the abyss below. Her squawk seemed imprisoned in her tight throat as terror began to fill her. Surprise soon jerked at her as she felt her left forepaw tighten. Finally able to manage a gasp, Digger was pulled easily, yet a little unsteadily, along with the eager fastbiter. Her heart found its beat again as it began to slowly hammer in her chest. Her mind bogged as she almost found herself hyperventilating from the sheer apprehension of the moment.

She was soon flung back onto flat ground on her back, gasping like a fish out of water. Digger's brain whirled as she came to her senses. Standing just beside her was that silvery-blue fastbiter, studying her intently. Torn between exhaustion and uneasiness, Digger only gazed back tiredly.

Their gaze was unreadable, yet gentle, "Nice climbing skills. Seems like I'll live to tell another story."

Taken aback, Digger was a bit  
dumbfounded by the sudden fluent words flow out of the fastbiter's jaws. Flipping onto her side and finding her hind paws, the fastrunner locked gazes with the dinosaur. She was entranced by the interaction between them. She only gawked at her savior and the one she also attempted to save.

"What is it?" the fastbiter insisted. "I know you can see, so why can't you at least provide me with a reply or acknowledgement other than a blank stare? What? You a mute or something? Or deaf?"

Digger began, "No… I can talk… and hear. It's just… I never expected you to…" Her voice trailed off.

"Be able to speak?" the fastbiter narrowed their eyes. "Jeez, kid, what kind of world do you live in? Of course us fastbiters and the like can talk. I just happened to pick up on the tongue of flatteeth. Sharpteeth speak is my native tongue, though I know how to roll the two tongues."

Digger calmed a bit, "Oh… s-sorry. I didn't know that sharpteeth had their own tongue. I haven't met enough to know, y'know? Though… I wonder of a mixed-eater like me could speak both?"

The fastbiter leaned in closer, eyes narrowed in thought, "Hmm…" they straightened. "Oh, you're one of those fastrunner kind. Say, where's your pack? Did you stray too far on a hunt? Nice night to hunt if you'd ask me, but unfortunately my hunt led me almost to my demise after it took flight into the sky."

Digger bit her tongue. She… didn't have a pack, nor did they hunt in a group. She only stalked bugs or small reptiles now and then, mostly bugs, and they weren't even that fleshy as a class of prey. Her eyes probably gave away her uneasy feelings, because the fastbiter showed signs of notice.

"Hm? You don't have a pack? What happened then? You looking for your parents? Certainly a youngling like you wouldn't be wandering all alone without adults with you, but you could have been seperated?" the fastbiter pressed. "Have you?"

Digger shook her head, "No… my parents are gone. But I have an adoptive mother…"

The fastbiter titled their head in puzzlement, "Then where is she?"

"Not… too far…" Digger stammered nervously. She couldn't just give away her herd's location! Especially while they were asleep!

"Hmm… you're a bit odd," the fastbiter noted. "What's your name?" Digger winced slightly. "You have a name, right?"

"It's Digger…" the fastrunner mumbled after a small silence.

"Hm, decent name, but odd for a fastrunner like you," the fastbiter scratched their chin with a claw. "Wait… you seem familiar… " their eyes narrowed.

Digger wanted to change the subject, "Uh, what's your name?"

The fastbiter replied, "Oh. Mine? Slash. My father's choice."

Digger's eyes widened a bit, "Where's your pack?"

Slash cringed slightly, "I don't have one… not anymore." They then perked up as they observed Digger more closely. "Come to think of it… you seem VERY familiar." Digger felt her knees almost begin to knock together as they trembled and felt weak. "… You were that fastrunner hatchling I saved when I claimed my meal with that slitherfang. There was a longneck hatchling with you. His scent was all over you."

The fastrunner's heart raced. Slash paused for a second, "And it's still there." They narrowed their mauve eyes. "And three others."

Digger gulped.

"You… you've been traveling with a longneck herd," Slash concluded. "They've been raising you."

Indignant rage began to bubble within Digger as she found herself lightly glaring.

"Don't hurt them, Slash," Digger warned. "They aren't yours to take! My others were already taken from me long before I was even hatched!" That last sentenced was tainted with a bit of hurt.

Slash seemed unphazed save for a flicker of surprise and… empathy? They stood firm, "Well… you did in fact save me, in spite of your little slip up. I suppose it wouldn't be wise to challenge three adults by myself. I'd take my chances with swimmers first before I do with full-grown longnecks."

Faint relief washed over Digger.

Slash cleared their throat, "I'll be seeing you off now, fastrunner. The Night Circle is hanging over us and is nearing its end of its rise. I best be off if I want to find myself a meal." They then took off. "See you around, Digger. Perhaps the stars shall align for us to meet once more during our journeys. Farewell, for now. Take care of your herd." They began to go off, briefly looking over their shoulder. "They've all you got left, kid, so treat them as if you're going to lose them."

And with that, the fastbiter began ascending the side of the rift with their strong hind legs. Digger felt her eyes stuck to the stop they took off until she felt a wave of weariness roll over her. Digger began to trek back.

The Night Circle was almost setting in the dim night as Digger found her way back. Her family had barely moved. Slinking back over to Littlefoot, the tired fastrunner settled beside him as if she never left. She shift against his warm belly as she signed quietly through her nostrils. Brining her quills on her tail tip up to her beak, she found sleep easier to come by as faint thoughts about Slash echoed in her mind.


End file.
